This invention relates to a hair-tinting implement.
A known hair-tinting implement has a resiliently-deformable plastics tinting-medium container, which acts as a grip, and a workhead. The workhead is connected to the container, and has a spike-like hair spreader, a flat brush, and a comb. The workhead also has at least one internal duct, which leads from the interior of the container to a tinting medium outlet in the workhead. The container is provided, at that of its ends remote from the workhead, with an air-intake valve which opens when the pressure in the container is less than that outside. The devices used for tinting the hair, namely the spike-like hair spreader, the comb, and the flat brush, are arranged on the workhead in such a manner as to suit their functions. The container is compressible, so that the tinting medium can be forced out, onto either the hair spreader or the flat brush, by the application of pressure. Upon the container resiliently recovering its shape, air is drawn into the container through the air-intake valve. This ensures that, when the container recovers its shape, the tinting medium in the duct is not sucked back into the container, but keeps the duct full, so that application of tinting medium in metered quantities is promoted. (See DT-GM No. 79 30 382).
The known implement uses a spring-loaded nonreturn valve as the air-intake valve. The incorporation of such a valve involves relatively high manufacturing and costs. Moreover, such a valve does not function reliably, and can be cleaned only with difficulty. Since the components of the hair-tinting medium have to be mixed in the container, it is practically impossible to prevent the tinting medium from dripping out of the valve when the container is shaken, and thus to prevent unpleasant contamination. Furthermore, the tinting medium is deposited on the operative parts of the valve in the course of time, so that the valve begins to leak. The valve spring suffers corrosion and tends to be affected by fatigue.
The aim of the present invention is to provide a hair-tinting implement which does not suffer from these disadvantages. In particular, the aim of the invention is to provide a hair-tinting implement having an air-intake valve which is simple and economical to produce and assemble; which is reliable, particularly as regards the prevention of dripping and the effects of shaking; which is easy to clean and which is easily and rapidly replaceable.